Refrigeration



June c c SPREEN REFRIGERATION Filed Jan. 7, 1927 Inventor a Charies C. Spreen.

3 MWJW Attorneg Patented June 17, .1930

. UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES C. SPREEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO" KELVINATOR CORPORA- TION', OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN REFRIGERATION Application filed January 7, 1927. Serial No. 159,623.

My invention relates to refrigeration, and partlcularly to means for reducing circulation of air in the refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator cabinet when the door af- 5 fording access thereto is opened, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved means of'this type.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one

In order to reduce circulation of air when the door normally closing the opening 16 of the compartment 12, and not shown, is opened to gain access to the ice trays, there is provided a plate 17 having lateral flanges 18, a comparatively wide top flange 19, a narrower bottom flange 20, and a central recess 21, registering with the ice tray recessl of the heat absorbing element 13.

The plate 17 is positioned in the door opening 16 by first inserting the top flange 19 behind the .top edge of the opening 16 a sufficient distance to permit the bottom flange 20 topass through the opening 16 and then allowing the plate 17 to drop downwardly until the bottom flange 20 of the plate 17 .is positioned behind the lower edge of the opening 16 with the lateral flanges 18 engaging in front of the inner step 21, of the stepped sides of the opening 16, whereupon the plate 17 is retained securely in position closing the opening 16.

From the above disclosure it will be obvious to those skilled in the, art that I have provided new and improved means for reducing circulation of'air in the refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator cabinet when the door normally closing such opening is opened. I.

At the same time it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiment ofmy invention herein shown and described may be variously. changed and modified Without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing the 'advantagesthereof, and it therefore will be understood that the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim: 1. In a refrigerator cabinet, walls forming a refrigerating compartment, one of said walls having a door opening permitting access to, said compartment, steps formed on the wall portion defining said opening, a self retaining plate for closing the opening in said wall, means extending fromthe ends of said plate to engage the inner surface of said compartment, and lateral flanges extending from the sides of said plate for engaging one of said steps, said end means and laterally extending side flanges when associated with said wall detachably retaining said plate within said wall opening, said closure plate being bodily removable intoand out of closure position through the door opening.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerating compartment, said compartment having a door 7 opening permitting access thereto, and steps formed on the frame of the door opening of said compartment; a plate abutting one of said steps and closing the opening in said compartment, said plate having end extensions'engaging the inside face of said compartment opening frame, and

means extending from the side of said plate engaging the front wall of one of said steps to retain said plate directly within said compartment door opening, said closure plate being bodily movable through the door opening. Y

3. In a refrigerator cabinethaving a refrigerating compartment, said compartment having a door opening permitting access thereto, and steps formed on the frame of the door opening of said compartment; a removable closure plate forthe door opening, said plate abutting one of said steps when placed Within the opening in said compartment and having end extensions and flanges extending from the sides for engaging the frame of said compartment and retaining said plate in said door opening.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerating compartment, said compartment having a door opening permitting access thereto, and steps formed on the frame of the door opening of said compartment; a plate abutting one of said steps and closing the opening in said compartment, said plate having an aperture permitting access to said compartment, means in the same plane extending from the ends of said plate to engage the inner surface of said compartment,

and means extending from the sides of said plate in a different plane to engage the sides of said compartment opening, both of said means being adapted to retain said plate within said compartment opening.

5. A refrigerator cabinet having a Wall provided with an opening therein, a detachable closure member for the opening having upper and lower flanges thereon fo'r engaging one side of the Wall at the upper and lower end extremities of the opening and having side flanges for engaging the opposite side of the Wall beyond the side extremities of the opening, said last mentioned flanges terminating in spaced relation to the upper edge of the opening to permit the upward movement of the closure until the bottom flange thereof is elevated above the lower gagement with the opposite side of the Wall beyond the side extremities of the opening, said side flanges terminating in spaced relation to the p pper extremity of the opening.

to permit upward movement of the closure and its removal from the opening.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CHARLES OQSPREEN. 

